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Attorneys establish legal defense fund for Anthony Fauci amid federal and state probes

The former NIAID director faces congressional contempt actions and multi-state investigations related to his pandemic tenure.

Updated Aug 24, 2026 · 00:33 UTC1 reports

The short version

  • Lawyers for Dr. Anthony Fauci launched the Anthony S. Fauci M.D. Legal Defense Fund to pay for legal representation across multiple federal and state inquiries.
  • Fauci has been cited for contempt by a Senate panel following an appearance where he invoked the Fifth Amendment, and he faces subpoenas from several state attorneys general.
  • Fauci and his legal counsel have rejected all allegations, characterizing the mounting inquiries as unfounded harassment.
  • It remains uncertain whether the Department of Justice will act on congressional referral requests or how a prior presidential pardon affects state-level investigations.

Key facts

  • Attorneys for Dr. Anthony Fauci created a dedicated legal defense fund to finance his legal representation and administrative costs during ongoing proceedings.[Fox News]
  • The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress after he repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment in a July hearing.[Fox News]
  • Senator Rand Paul has urged the Department of Justice to prosecute Fauci following the congressional inquiry.[Fox News]
  • Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, backed by West Virginia and Louisiana, issued a subpoena to investigate whether Fauci personally profited from COVID-19 guidance.[Fox News]
  • Fauci's attorney stated that Fauci did nothing wrong and described the ongoing investigations as frivolous harassment.[Fox News]
  • David Morens, a former advisor to Fauci, pleaded guilty to evading public records laws in an attempt to hide pandemic-related documents.[Fox News]

What remains uncertain

  • It is not yet known whether the Department of Justice will pursue prosecution based on the Senate referral, or how a preemptive federal pardon by former President Biden applies to state-level inquiries.[Fox News]

Sources